Blog feature: "Big or not to big"

Just wanted to spotlight a wonderful plus size fashion blog I found.

http://big-or-not-to-big.over-blog.com

If you don't speak French your browser should be able to translate the blog like mine did.

I love Audrey's simple, cute/romantic style.

Her clothes define her waist, and flatter her entire body and she is so pretty -- In love with that hair color, she really pulls it off.

I think the lines in her photos are beautiful, and she knows what looks good on her. All her clothes seem to fit her well--there is no gaping or pulling nor over exposed body parts. All her hems seem to come to the right length on her, and even the backgrounds on her photos are beautiful!

I really really recommend spending a little time going through her blog. I went through the whole thing and am so inspired. :)

http://big-or-not-to-big.over-blog.com

NeckTie Skirt!

Made from my Grandpa's old ties :)

Altered Thrift Store Dress

I found this dress at the Salvation Army a couple weeks ago for about $4. I fell in love with the colors but was not so happy about the waistline, the elastic cuffs on the sleeves, and the high neckline. it was very unflattering.

So I brought the waist up to empire length (straight below my bust... tends to be a very flattering style on plus size women), shortened the sleeves, and changed the style of the bust to a plunge v-neck. Using a ribbon constructed from the material of the dress, I wrapped around the new waistline and created a buttonhole in the lower center of the bust. Then I threaded both ends through and around and tied them. Hard to explain but its a technique I start using a while ago that seems to draw the eye upward and away from my stomach.

I also love the diagonal lines of the dress and how the lines are interrupted by the flow of the fabric.

The only thing I dislike about the dress is that the fabric is completely synthetic and not very breathable... But the color and pattern are so fun that I forget that I'm just a little overheated! :D

Here is the unfortunate before--see, entirely unflattering. There needs to be more going on up top to break up the expanse of the lighter pink.

Much better, although a strange picture of me. I think The Manflesh was getting tired of taking pictures of me.

I got an amazing dress from the thrift store for $4, and it took me only about 25 minutes to do the alterations. Moral of the story: thrift stores rock! :)

Dress From Scratch, No Pattern

Here is a summer dress I made from scratch. I used a very lightweight yellow gingham fabric.

The bust and back of bust are shirred and the bust is ruched a bit for definition. The edges of the bust are bound with yellow lace trim into a sweetheart neckline. The sleeves are trimmed in yellow lace as well and the hem falls about 2-3 inches above my knee. The skirt has a bit of flounce to it because I find that in plus size sewing, it is useful to have a bit of extra fabric in the front so that my stomach will not protrude. Especially with woven fabrics--I am not the kind of person who likes to wear skin tight clothes.

Instead, I defined my waist below my chest and made the bust area interesting to draw the eye upward so there is less attention on my generously proportioned lower body ;p

Furthermore, I just wanted to note that covering the entire body on plus sized women (longer cuts on dresses and long sleeves) is one of the worst things to do because it make us look even larger. I am not one big block of fat, I have curves. Some of them thicker and larger than others, but I am not square or circular, I am  dynamic. You all are too. And you all are beautiful. Plus sized or not.

Rant over.

This is possibly the most comfortable dress for hot weather ever. The dip at the hem in the middle is that extra drape of fabric I was talking about. It really helps the flow of the dress, but it looks odd in photos. also, the way I'm standing makings the sleeves look like they're different lengths, but I promise they're not :)

I tend to wear knit shorts underneath though, because my area has a tendency to get windy a lot!

Also, this looked super cute with white sandals (not flipflops) and a white purse.

:)